


AaCW: The Soul Quest

by loosenyourcorset



Series: Adventures at Camp Wildflower [6]
Category: Tiny Meat Gang (Band), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, M/M, Pining, Summer, but he doesn't know he's pining, tiny meat gang - Freeform, tmg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22690075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loosenyourcorset/pseuds/loosenyourcorset
Summary: Have you ever been kissed by not-quite-your-best-friend? Have you ever been even remotely close to being smooched in a tree in the middle of the night by your friend-who-sleeps-above-you? If you haven't, Cody would tell you that it does not always come recommended.
Relationships: Cody Ko/Noel Miller
Series: Adventures at Camp Wildflower [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1413289
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	AaCW: The Soul Quest

The boys had taken to referring to their forbidden lip-lock as "The Incident", and that was only if they felt the need to talk about it _all_. They normally didn't. Still, it brought upon something of a rift between them. After they had climbed down out of the tree and gone back to bed in their cabin, they weren't quite sure what to do about what had happened. Cody suggested they talk about it, and Noel suggested that they never speak of it ever again. To anybody. Big emphasis on the word _ever_. Cody wasn't necessarily argumentative, but he was stubborn.

"It doesn't have to mean anything," he had assured Noel the following afternoon during lunch. There was a beat of silence, but he knew Noel was pointedly ignoring him when he bit into another bite of his food. "Like, literally anything..." Cody trailed off, in the hopes that it would lead the conversation somewhere.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but we should hit the rock climbing wall after this," Noel had responded. Partly because he knew that Cody would do whatever he wanted if it involved going outside, and partly because he really, really did not want to talk about The Incident.

In reply to that, Cody simply sighed and moved on. He would try again later.

And try he did. Multiple times over the course of a few days. Noel was having none of it. The longer the situation went ignored, the more annoying Cody became (at least from Noel's perspective). Even worse than he'd been when he was laid up in bed a few weeks prior, and that was saying something. One night, Cody got fed up with not getting any answers out of his friend, or whatever he was now, and did the only thing a thirteen year old boy with some pent up emotions could possibly do: He tackled him.

Now, Noel was not a fighter. He had never won a fight due to the fact that he had never _been_ in a fight. Cody had never been in a serious fight; The playful ones he had been in, he'd won those. Most of them. So this should have been a no-brainer, except Noel was putting up a decent amount of effort. Cody had been downright insufferable and he just wanted it to stop, and he thought that maybe if he won their little scrap then maybe he would Let. It. Go. That was a pipe dream, but not because he lost. Counselor Ferdinand came in and put a stop to it rather quickly, breaking the two boys up and separating them before any real damage could be done. Cody had a scrape on his face but the cut was superficial. Barely even a cut, really, and he was pretty sure it had come from a pebble on the floor anyhow.

Counselor Ferdinand was piping mad. About as mad as he would allow himself to get at two kids, but still fairly mad.

"You two were the best of friends a week or so ago-"

"'Best' is a generous word-" Noel started, but the counselor put his hand up, not enjoying being interrupted.

"You were _close_ is my point. Now all the two of you seem to do is bicker and snap at each other and it's driving me nuts. It's driving the whole cabin nuts."

This was news to both Noel and Cody. Sure, they had not been silent about their annoyance with each other, but they hadn't realized their little tiffs and arguments were so noticeable. The other boys that were currently present in the cabin, some of which had been chanting _"Fight! Fight!"_ until the counselor walked in, shuffled around awkwardly, suddenly silent and looking anywhere but at the two in trouble.

"When problems like this arise, we generally only have one option. We transfer one of you to another cabin. However, most of our cabins are full and it doesn't seem fair to make another boy come to our cabin just because you two can no longer get along."

Cody and Noel shared a look. They knew this semi-lecture was going somewhere, but they were afraid they weren't going to like where it went.

"In the past, though, we have had some success with a more unconventional option. Hiking!" Counselor Ferdinand exclaimed, almost too excitedly. It was as if he'd been waiting to bring this up for a while and had never had the option to do so with the campers in one of his own cabins before. "We send you both on a journey up the mountain near the edge of camp. Think of it as something of a...soul quest, perhaps. A hike to bring you closer together again, instead of continuing to drift further apart."

The sound of this did intrigue Cody, but Noel was trying to mask his complete distaste for the idea by purposely making his face look indifferent. He was _not_ an outdoorsman. Never had been, never would be. Switching cabins sounded like an easier idea, but he guessed that he agreed with the counselor that it wouldn't be exactly fair. Still, though...

"We would, of course, pack you a bag full of everything you would need for the two-day journey up the mountain and then back again."

Noel broke out of his mask almost immediately. "Two days?!" he questioned incredulously. That was a four-day total and he was not interested. No way, no how. Not now, not ever.

✰

It was Sunday at 7 a.m. sharp. Cody and Noel were accompanied to the base of the mountain by a couple of counselors. They had brightly colored backpacks, the straps perfectly fitted onto their shoulders. The morning was cool but in a couple of hours the Arkansas sun would heat the camp up, and by midday it would likely be scorching. They'd be fine, of course, as they had plenty of water. Their upcoming hike was sold as an easy one. Even the younger campers could do it, though they'd usually be accompanied by older campers or a counselor.

"Kids your age should be fine, though. Probably," Ferdinand teased, waving goodbye at the two teens as himself and the other counselors retreated back to the main part of camp.

Noel started walking before Cody could start talking. Cody followed, because what other choice did he have?

The trail was easy, Noel would give them that. It inclined slowly and wasn't particularly steep in any one spot, so it wasn't like the walk was going to kill him. They walked for a while in silence, Cody a few steps behind, and after awhile the thick forest of trees gave way to a thinner one made up of smaller trees, shrubbery, small plants, and lots of dirt. Noel almost yelped when he felt a lizard crawling up his calf, but he reached down and gently brushed it off. It scampered away to go do whatever it is that lizards do; Noel couldn't tell you what that was.

About an hour passed and Cody couldn't take it anymore, he had to say something, and Noel thought that it might have been his longest record of being quiet since he'd known him.

"Sorry I tackled you," a mumble came from behind Noel's back, and he stopped for a moment so that the younger boy could catch up. "And, like, got on your nerves and stuff. That too."

When Cody caught up, Noel resumed walking. They walked side by side for a few quiet minutes, not looking at each other and focusing mostly on their feet or the views around them. They noticed that they did seem to be getting higher up, but it had only been one out of forty-eight hours. They had a while yet to go.

Noel finally gestured to a bench, no doubt an area set up by the counselors who lead guided hikes. He took a seat on one side and Cody plopped down on the other, taking off his backpack to grab a bottle of water and a granola bar. Noel had to wonder how Cody could eat in the heat, but he didn't bother to ask. It kinda seemed as though Cody could eat under literally any condition.

"I'm sorry too. That I wouldn't talk to you about it, or whatever," Noel shrugged in return. He did feel bad, but he wasn't that great with words. It's not like photography, which was his passion. If he could figure out a way to apologize in pictures, he would do it. "I guess that having a...first kiss," it was the first time he'd used those specific words, "meant more to me than I imagined. Not that that's, like, your fault or anything. It totally isn't. You're a good kisser, I think, I mean it's not like I have anything to compare it to-"

"You can stop," Cody said, a lopsided grin gracing his features. "It's cool, I get it. I kind of felt that way also."

Noel's shoulders visibly relaxed and he leaned back against the bench, letting out a hum that felt a lot like letting go of his concern. He'd been worried about their friendship - if it would continue...or not. He didn't want to lose Cody over something stupid, and he felt like he should've said that sooner. Either way he was glad they were talking about it now, despite all of his attempts to get out of the conversation.

There was more that Noel wanted to say and he was sure that Cody could have talked more too, but he was just about emotioned out for the time being. He wanted to keep going and not waste too much more time lazing around talking about feelings. For now, at least.

They returned to their trail and kept walking. It wasn't as boring as Noel had imagined it to be, and after they had gotten a little farther from the camp he took his camera out. Nature was a good subject to capture at any time, but Cody was the first thing in Noel's sights.

"If you take pictures of me out here and we get eaten by a mountain lion, they'll find this camera and use all of the best shots on the news," Cody said, smiling and comically posing next to a giant boulder. Noel had to laugh at the absurdity (and of course the morbidity) of Cody's statement. It was even more morbid that his own following thought was how cool it would be if his own pictures ended up on the news, although it would also definitely be super sad.

"What would the headline say?" he found himself asking, lining up the shot just right in his camera as Cody's head tilted to the side in thought.

"Hmm... It would say something like, 'Two Teens Found Dead After Lunatic Camp Let Them Hike Up A Mountain Alone'," Cody decided.

Noel was laughing as he clicked the button to take the picture, and in the camera roll Cody's eyes were closed. The picture was a little blurry and when Noel looked at it, his stomach started to remind him of the way he felt every time he saw Cody look at Devon. He deleted it almost immediately, his cheeks heating up. At least he could blame that last part on the summer sun. "Your eyes were closed, dingus. Gotta take another one."

✰

The sun was just barely starting to set as they came upon the halfway point up the mountain. The flat spot they had found was covered in soft grass and was the perfect place to pitch their tents, and they equally decided they should stop and rest for the night. It had been a long, tiring day and both boys were ready to make a campfire and conk out in their tents.

"What's summer camp without having to make a campfire from scratch?" Cody asked. There was plenty of wood around and he grabbed a couple of logs to set up, knowledgeably placing them in a way that made sense. Noel was a little lost on this whole idea, but as long as he didn't have to pretend he knew what he was doing then it was fine by him. Cody produced two sticks to rub together to start the fire, which tickled Noel because frankly it was unnecessary. After watching him fail miserably several times, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a lighter.

"Whaddya wanna bet that's in there for this reason exactly?" he laughed, and Cody resigned to flipping him off. He just laughed some more.

They were both given a little metal pan to cook their dinner in, which was technically just a can of beans and franks. Much to Noel's dismay, Cody ate them cold out of the can. He was genuinely full of surprises, however gross some of them might have been. Noel himself had to warm his up over the fire, unable to dig into a cold can of anything other than soda. Afterward, the real fun of attempting to put up their tents began.

Was it getting dark by the time they finished eating? Yes. Was Cody beginning to fear his own joke about the lion? Yes. Would it have been an easier task if they'd been given instructions? Yes.

This was most likely Counselor Ferdinand's plan all along by getting them to work together. They both had to help the other set up their tent, and after all was said and done, well. The tents were up, but they were by no means much to look at. A major downfall in terms of this hike was that they only had the clothes they were wearing, and to Cody that meant stripping down to his underwear before sliding into his sleeping bag. For Noel, that meant he slept uncomfortably in his clothes. Next year, if he decided he wanted to return to camp, he was going to have to bring more camp-friendly clothing options.

It was easy to fall asleep after such an exhausting, exercise-heavy day. Even though Noel had originally been uncomfortable, he was asleep within half an hour. He could hear Cody snoring in the tent next to his, but only a little bit.

The next morning, they found that it was every bit as hard to take down the tents as it was to get them standing upright. Cody figured he would have to come up with a very strongly-worded speech about how these tents needed _instructions_ because himself and Noel were both _dumb_. They got everything packed up and made sure that their campfire was really out, because in the hot, dry, Arkansas wilderness, it wouldn't be hard for a fire to travel - they didn't want to be responsible for burning down the entirety of Camp Wildflower.

In continuing their hike, they found that the higher they went, the cooler it was. That's not to say that it wasn't still hot out. It absolutely was. Noel had to wonder who would put a camp in an obviously desert climate, but he remembered all the shade from the trees back at camp, and the cool wind flowing in from across the lake. It never _felt_ like scorching heat, even when it was above eighty degrees.

The second day was a lot easier for them, since they were accustomed to the continuous gradual incline by then. Cody had been up for the hike regardless, but he didn't want to have to admit that his counselor was right. Around lunchtime they stumbled upon a stream and that was it, Cody had to jump in.

"If you get in with me I won't tell anybody that you weren't sitting on a rock being cool," he teased, after finding himself in his underwear yet again. He dipped his toes into the water and it was colder than he'd expected, but he didn't mind. "And if I catch a fish with my bare hands, that'd make for an awesome picture!"

Cody's enthusiasm was annoyingly infectious, though Noel wouldn't tell him that. He pulled his camera out of his bag yet again and set it on the bank of the stream, disrobing and stepping only his feet into the water at first. He paid no attention to Cody rolling his eyes at him, wading into the water at his own pace and shivering at the coldness of it.

"You'll get used to it," Cody promised, then splashed Noel's face with the frigid water. It was when Noel recoiled that he noticed his hair. He hadn't ever really paid attention to it in the morning, ordinarily still half asleep when they were getting ready for the day. But now, in the bright sunlight, it was obvious. There was no gel in it. It hadn't even been brushed aside from Noel running his hand through it. It was curly and thick and Cody had the overwhelming _urge_ to touch it, but he refrained. It was _cute_ for crying out loud. He dipped his head under the water to keep the blush from becoming apparent, then resurfaced and pretended that had never happened.

Noel did, in fact, grab at his camera a second or two after Cody popped back out of the water. A plant that had been dislodged had somehow ended up on top of Cody's head, clinging to his now-wet hair. It was funny, and too good of a photo opportunity to pass up. He showed Cody the picture after it was taken, and Cody quickly ran his hands through his own hair in an effort to get the plant off of him. 

The best part about the heat was that they weren't cold after getting out of the stream. It took them about half an hour of lying in the sun to get warm, and they were glad to have a chance to relax in the warmth.

"Do you think you know what you're going to do for the talent show?" Noel asked, knowing by the pattern of Cody's breathing that he wasn't napping on his towel.

Even though he knew Noel wouldn't see it, Cody shrugged. "I mean, I'm sure I could find something to do with Spock or somebody. I haven't figured anything out yet. I don't even know what I'm talented at," he admitted.

"Too bad being annoying isn't a talent," Noel teased, and he chuckled when he felt Cody's fist collide playfully with his shoulder. "Honestly, though, I might do, like, a comedy routine or something."

There was a moment of silence before Cody sat up, looking over at Noel. "You're not funny?" He said it, but it sounded more like a question.

"Well that's not nice."

"No, I mean, hold on - you're _funny_ , but not on purpose. You've never purposely made me laugh, have you?" Cody had to ask. This was a whole new thing about Noel that he could never have guessed he was interested in, and now his interest was piqued.

Noel shrugged, and Cody did see it. "I don't know. Sometimes I do try to make you laugh but I'm not one hundred percent doing it on purpose, does that make sense? It's like a reflex."

Cody thought about it. Noel was funny, really, he hadn't meant that he wasn't. It's just that he didn't automatically associate Noel with jokes in his mind. If anything he associated him more with sensitivity and artsy stuff, and those weren't bad things. They were just _different_ things. He wondered what on-purpose comedy from Noel would be like; Whether it would be good or bad. He didn't want him to get up on stage and embarrass himself, but then again, maybe he'd be so good that he won. Either way, Cody was going to support him. "If that's what you wanna do, dude, I'm going to be in the front row. And I'm gonna laugh super loud at every punchline."

"Please do not do that."

"No, I'm gonna do that. It'll be great. I'll be like your hype man."

"Don't. I'm not even going to do the show now."

"It's gonna be so aweso-" Cody would have continued his sentence, but all of a sudden Noel's hand was covering his mouth, and he dissolved into laughter instead.

✰

By the time they reached the mountain's summit, the sun was setting again. At the peak, they could see the camp easily. Off in the distance, the rest of Morgan's Plateau was visible as well. It really was very...flat, Noel thought to himself. He smiled when Cody pointed out what he thought might be his house, wondering aloud if his parents could see them as two little specks at the top of the mountain. Not likely, they both knew.

The sunset provided a beautiful picture in Noel's camera roll and Cody posed against the backdrop for a non-goofy one for once, braces in full show. Cody snatched the camera out of Noel's hand and pulled him closer by his arm, turning the camera around so that the lens was facing them. He clicked the button to take a picture of the two of them, his arm around Noel's neck. When he pulled the picture up on the roll, he had to laugh. Noel looked almost offended at being caught in a photo. "You can't just photograph the world around you, y'know. You gotta take pictures of yourself, too. Otherwise how will anyone know you occupied the same spaces you took so many pictures of?" Cody asked him.

Noel didn't know if it was poetic or if he was just in his feelings, but he liked the way the sentiment sounded coming out of Cody's usually-silly mouth. He didn't delete that picture.

They pitched their tents before it got too dark outside, and it was almost cold that night due to being as high up as they could go. The stars were even easier to see out there on the mountain and the warmth from their little campfire made it seem special. There were probably hundreds of people across America doing the same type of thing, but they were the only ones on Camp Wildflower's mountain that night.

And the mountain lions, of course.


End file.
